Defective article rejector



A. BELL ETA!- DEFECTIVE ARTICLE REJECTOR July 19, 1960 3 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1955 INVENTOR ARTHUR BELL BY GEORGE DANIEL HORGAN 4 6% AT R Y July 19, 1960 BELL ETAL DEFECTIVE ARTICLE REJECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1955 IN E OR ARTHl SELL BY GECRGE DANEL HORGAN Mg I, OR EY July 19, 1960 BELL EI'AL 2,945,587

DEFECTIVE ARTICLE REJECTOR Filed Dec. 20, 1955 IS Sheets-Sheet 3 WWW FIG.3

INVENTOR ARTHUR LBELL ,1 J GEORGE DANIE HORGAN ATTO United States Patent C) DEFECTIVE ARTICLE REJECTOR Arthur Bell and George Daniel Horgan, London,'-England, assignors to American Machine 8: Foundry Company, :a corporation of .New :Jersey Filed Dec. 20, 1955, SenNo. 554,344

Claims priority, applicationGreat BritainDec. 23, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl. 209-74) This invention relatesto means for causing the rejection or segregation of articles, such as cigarettes, from netic device or relay for controlling rejection or segregaa succession thereof in accordance with a detected or measured property of such articles. The invention may be applied with particular advantage to cigarettes produced by a continuous rod cigarette making machine Where it is required to detect and to reject any cigarettes which do not. conform to a predetermined standard or range of properties, e.g. those which are subject to irregularities or faults such as undesired variations in tobacco content or density. However, the invention is not restricted to such applications but may be employed for segregating or classifying other articles in accordance with desired or undesired properties thereof. The .ob-

ject of the present invention is to provide improved means for the above purposes which is particularly suitable for high speeds of operation.

The invention comprises one or more nozzle devices supplied with compressed air and adapted to effect displacement or diversion of articles advancing in succession, means for controlling the air blast or jet action of the nozzle or nozzles, and means including atiming device for actuating said controlling means under the control of measuring or detecting means for the articlesto effect the desired rejection or segregation thereof.

The invention also comprises a timing device having a plurality of members movable in an orbital path in synchronism with the travel of the articles and displaceable under the control of measuring or detecting means, one or more nozzle devices supplied with compressed air and adapted to effect diversion or displacement of articles advancing in succession, and means actuatable by .a displaced member for controlling the air jet or blast to effect rejection or segregation of articles as desired in .accordance with measured or detected properties thereof.

Control of the air jet or blast may be effected either by movable shutter means which diverts the jet or renders it ineffective, or by valve means controlling the sup ply of compressed air to the nozzle or nozzles.

The air jet means can be arranged to displace or divert either the faulty articles or those free-from faults.

' In one convenient arrangement applied to the rejection of faulty cigarettes produced by a'continuous rod cigarette making machine, the cigarettes advanced in endwise succession on a conveyor are alternately displaced to parallel conveyer bands on either side by timed operation of air jets, and such operation of either jet is interrupted by valve or shutter means controlled as previously described so that the faulty articles remain on the center conveyer and are thereby transferred to a waste receptacle or the like.

The detection of faults or other properties in the articles is conveniently effected by a measuring unit, e;g. a dielectric gauge or .a radiation gauge, which is adapted to send an electrical itnpulse to an electromagtion of the articles.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure l .is a side elevation of an apparatus "for rejecting faulty cigarettes, arranged and constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation taken along line 2-2 of'Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of part of the conveyer bands delivering the cigarettes. I

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode as applied by way of example tothe rejection of faulty cigarettes produced on a continuous rod cigarettemachine, there is provided a timing device as illustrated in "Figures 1 and 2. The device consists of a disc or wheel 1 on a shaft 2 rotatably mounted in bearings in a support 3 and driven through gearing 4 from a shaft 5. The disc or wheel 1 is arranged above thepath of the cigarettes with its axis substantially at right angles thereto. The peripheral portion or rim -6 of the disc 1 carries a plurality of magnetizable pins .7 freely slidable in bores parallel to the axis of the disc. A plate 8 is secured tothe support 3 and a second plate 9 is secured in spaced relation to the plate 8 'by distance studs 10, the rotary disc 1 lying between theplates 8 and 9. A bracket 11 secured to the plate 8 carries an electrical relay having a coil 12 and an armature 3:13 pivotally mounted and loaded by a spring 14. The armature has a downward extension carrying a deflecting plate '15. I

The arrangement is such that by energizing the relay coil 12 the armature can be moved so that the deflecting plate 15 strikes the projecting end of a pin 7 passing the deflecting plate at that instant. The plate 19 carries a stop :pad 16 (Figure 2) located opposite vthe=deflecting plate 15 .and arranged to receive and arrest a pin which has been propelled outwardly by operation of the armature. The pad 16 maybe formed from vulcanized ,fibre or other shock absorbing material. Also mounted on or adjacent the stop pad 16 are a pair of magnets 17 arranged to create a magnetic field extending across the path of a pin which .has been displaced outwardly as described above. The magnets 17 as shown in Figure 1 are horseshoe permanent magnets with theirpoles @oppositely disposed and spaced on opposite sides of-the circular path taken by the .pins so as to afford .a slot through which displaced pins can pass. When a ,pin is propelled at high speed through its bore by operation of the deflecting plate 15 its forward .end enters the magnetic field which acts to arrest the entering pin and prevents rebound.

Also secured to the disc 9 is a ramp member 18for eventually returning displaced pins to their initial position in the rotary disc 1. The ramp member 18 is formed from an arcuate metal strip extending over somewhat less than 360, the interrupted portion accommodating the permanent magnets 17. The ramp member 1 8 is shaped so that after a displaced pin has passed its lowest position it is returned to an initial axial position by an inclined portion of the ramp surface. Thenumber of pins 7 is chosen to be in excess of the number of cigarettes bet-ween at detecting or measuring point and the point at which faulty cigarettes are rejected, and the disc 1 is driven at a speed such that the .pins are -:displaced in a circular path in synchronism with the travel of the cigarettes from the machine. The arrangement so far described is similar to that described in copending application Serial No. 554,323, filed December 20, 1955, noW Patent 2,905,319. Q

An arm 20 is pivotally mounted at 21 on .abracket member 22 secured to the support 3 and is movable in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the disc 1. The arm 20 extends inwardly with respect to the right hand side of the disc 1 as seen in Figure l and its face 23 is inclined (or curved) with respect to the axis of the disc 1 so that the said face will be engaged by a travelling, axially displaced pin 7 to effect angular movement of the arm as the pin passes it. The arm 26 is attached to or forms part of a member 24 to which is attached a shutter member indicated generally at 25 which is adapted to control a pair of air jet or blast nozzles 26 and 27.

Cigarettes from the cigarette making machine are advanced in endwise succession upon a conveyor band 28 to a position between the nozzles. Two further conveyor bands 29 and 30 are arranged one on each side of the band 28 and parallel thereto. The shutter member coniprises an inverted U-shaped plate having side portions 1 which are turned outwardly at their lower ends forming extensions 32. The nozzles are located with their axes horizontal and slightly above the level of the three conveyer bands. The member 24 to which the arm 20 is attached has a projection 33 which can be engaged with a fixed stop 34 by a loading spring 35 attached to the shutter member 25. When so held, as seen in Figure 2, the shutter side plates are withdrawn from the paths of the air jets.

The jet nozzles 26 and 27 are supplied with compressed air from a suitable source under the control of a rotary valve indicated at 36 which is driven from the shaft in timed relation with the timing disc 1 and hence with the travel of the cigarettes from the machine. The rotary valve 36 is arranged to allow each of the nozzles 26 and 27 to emit air blasts alternately as the cigarettes pass a point opposite the nozzles. Thus with the shutter in its inoperative position, alternate cigarettes in the advancing series on the conveyer band 28 will be diverted to the conveyer bands 29 and 30 in turn.

Rotary valve 36 is of a type well known per so as evidenced by the disclosure in expired US. Patent 782,269 Ramsdell, dated February 14, 1905. This patent shows a rotary distribution valve including a rotatable plug 22 having an axial inlet opening 39 which could be connected to a source of compressed air, and including two discharge ducts 18 and 19 which could be connected to the discharge nozzles 26 and 27 of the present application. The plug 22 in the Ramsdell patent is rotated by a shaft 23 which could be connected directly to the main drive shaft 5 of the present invention for timed actuation therewith.

In the event that a faulty cigarette has been detected by a suitable measuring unit associated with the cigarette making machine, an electrical impulse is sent to the relay coil 12 to operate the armature 13 and displace one of the pins 7 in the rotary timing disc 1. The arrangement is such that immediately before such faulty cigaretter arrives opposite the air jet nozzles 26 and 27 the displaced pin actuates the arm 20 to place the shutter plates 31 in front of the jets and thereby prevent either of them from diverting the faulty cigarette which accordingly remains upon the conveyer 28 and is discharged into a chute 37 (Figure 3) leading to a suitable receptacle. It will be seen that the extension portions 32 of the shutter side plates 31 lie beneath the air jet nozzles when the shutter member is in jet obstructing position so as to ensure that the jets will have no action on the cigarettes. The cigarettes which are diverted to the side conveyer bands 29 and 30 pass to suitable collecting means (not shown).

In the above example the air jet nozzles are shown as being in alignment, but this arrangement is not essential. It may be desirable to have the nozzles spaced apart along the path of travel of the cigarettes, in which case the side plates of the shutter must be either of sufiicient width to obstruct both nozzles or must be appropriately displaced.

Instead of rendering the air jets ineffective by shutter means as in the above described example, the jets may be controlled by valves operated from the displaceable arm 20 in any convenient manner.

The invention is not restricted to the double air nozzle arrangement described above. Thus a single nozzle may be arranged adjacent a single conveyer band from the cigarette making machine, the air jet or blast being normally inoperative either by the interposition of a shutter or by a closed valve in the air supply. Upon detection of a faulty cigarette the corresponding displaced pin in the timing disc displaces the shutter or opens the valve so that the faulty cigarette is displaced or blown sideways either to a parallel conveyer for rejected cigarettes or directly into a waste receptacle or the like. It will be understood that one or more air nozzles together with their controlling shutter or valve means may be variously arranged for effecting rejection or segregation of cigarettes in any desired manner according to detected or measured properties thereof. Also the apparatus may be adapted for similar operations on other articles.

Any desired form of detecting or measuring means, including weighing, may be employed to detect faulty articles, and is preferably such as to provide an electrical impulse for operating an electromagnetic device or relay for effecting displacement of a given member of a timing device.

Where the invention is applied to articles cut from a continuous rod or web, e.g. cigarettes from a continuous rod cigarette making machine, and the measuring or etecting unit is arranged to operate on the rod or web before it is cut, it is desirable that any fault or detection impulse should only be transmitted to the air jet controlled means Whilst a length of rod or web corresponding to a subsequently formed article is in the measuring unit. This requirement can be met by including in the circuit between the measuring unit and the electrical relay a switch or interrupting device operated in synchronism with the travel of the articles.

We claim: I

l. A defective article rejector for segregating articles from a succession thereof in accordance with a detected property of such articles, comprising a conveyor for conveying discrete articles along a predetermined path of travel, at least one air nozzle disposed adjacent said article conveyor having air supplied thereto and adapted to divert said articles from said path of travel by a stream of air from said nozzle, a movable shutter adapted to be selectively interposed between said nozzle and said articles to interrupt said stream of air, a disc rotating in synchronism with the travel of said articles and having a plurality of movable pins disposed about the outer periphery thereof, and means for laterally displacing said pins each in response to the detection of a defective article, said shutter having an outwardly extending actuating arm movable in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said disc and directly engageable by any of said pins when displaced to interpose said shutter between said nozzle and said moving articles to effect segregation of a defective article from articles displaced from said path of travel by said air stream.

2. A defective article rejector for segregating articles from a succession thereof in accordance with a detected property of such articles, comprising a conveyor for conveying discrete articles along a predeterimned path of travel, at least one air nozzle disposed adjacent said article conveyor having air supplied thereto and adapted to divert said articles from said path of travel by a stream of air from said nozzle, a movable shutter pivotally mounted adjacent said nozzle and adapted to be selectively interposed between said nozzle and said articles to interrupt said stream of air, spring means attached to said shutter for biasing said shutter away from said nozzle and out of said air stream, a disc rotating in synchronism with the travel of said articles and having a plurality of movable pins disposed about the outer periphery thereof, and means for laterally displacing said pins each in response to the detection of a defective article, said shutter having an outwardly extending actuating arm movable in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said disc and directly engageable by any of said pins when displaced to interpose said shutter between said nozzle and said moving articles to effect segregation of a defective article from articles displaced from said path of travel by said air stream.

3. A defective article rejector for segregating articles from a succession thereof in accordance with a detected property of such articles, comprising a conveyor for conveying discrete articles along a predetermined path of travel, at least one air nozzle disposed adjacent said article conveyor having air supplied thereto and adapted to divert said articles from said path of travel by a stream of air from said nozzle, a movable shutter adapted to be selectively interposed between said nozzle and said articles to interrupt said stream of air, a disc rotating in synchronism with the travel of said articles and having a plurality of movable pins disposed about the outer periphery thereof, means for laterally displacing said pins each in response to the detection of a defective article, said shutter having an outwardly extending actuating arm movable in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said disc and directly engageable by any of said pins when displaced to interpose said shutter between said nozzle and said moving articles to effect segregation of a defective article from articles displaced from said path of travel by said air stream, and a rotating air valve operated in synchronism with said rotating disc and connected to said nozzle, said valve being operative to supply air to said nozzle in timed relationship to the advance of said articles so that a current of air is emitted only when an article is disposed opposite said nozzle.

4. A defective article rejector for segregating articles from a succession thereof in acordance with a detected property of such articles, comprising a first conveyor for conveying discrete articles along a predetermined path of travel, second and third conveyors operatively associated with said first conveyor and positioned adjacent thereto, a first air nozzle disposed adjacent said first conveyor ha'ving air supplied thereto and adapted to selectively diver-t articles from said first conveyor to said second conveyor by a stream of air from said nozzle, a second air nozzle disposed adjacent said first conveyor having air supplied thereto and adapted to selectively divert articles from said first conveyor to said third conveyor, a rotating air valve connected to a source of air supply and operating in synchronism with the travel of said articles and having at least two outlet ports, each respectively connected to one of said nozzles, said valve being operative to supply air alternately to said nozzles to propel successively advancing articles onto said second and third conveyors, a movable shutter pivotally mounted for selective interposition between said first and second nozzles and said articles to interrupt said streams of air from said nozzles, a disc rotating in synchronism with the travel of said articles on said first conveyor and having a plurality of movable pins disposed about the outer periphery thereof, and means for laterally displacing said pins each in response to the detection of a defective article, said shutter having an outwardly extending actuating arm directly engageable by any of said pins when displaced to move said shutter into a nozzle obstructing position to prevent diversion of defective articles onto said second and third conveyors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,846,808 Hohn et al. Feb. 23, 1932 2,152,758 Cox Apr. 9, 1939 2,217,342 Ladrach Oct. 8, 1940 2,251,949 Pechy Aug. 12, 1941 2,293,500 Fox Aug. 18, 1942 2,415,174 Hurley Feb. 4, 1947 2,729,214 Broekhuysen et al. J an. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 504,683 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1939 

